Over-pouring cereal. Whole-grain cereal is a great way to start your morning, giving you a healthy dose of fiber and other important vitamins and minerals. However, I find that even when people are aware of the appropriate serving size (usually 3/4-1 cup), they usually eyeball the serving, rather than measure it. The problem with this is that studies show, most people over-pour the serving double to triple of what it should be. This can mean an extra 200-400 calories, which can potentially lead to a weight gain of up to 3 pounds per month! My tip: Keep a measuring cup inside your cereal box for easy portion control.

Not counting the calories for healthy foods. I find that many times people are delighted to hear that some of their favorite foods-such as chocolate, wine, nuts, and fruit have nutritional benefits. Even though this is true, that doesn't mean that they are "free foods." The calories in these foods still count towards your daily total, just as calories in any other food do. The big mistake here is that people often equate healthy to all you can eat! My tip: Enjoy a moderate portion of your favorite healthy foods daily, but be aware of the portion size. For the foods mentioned above that's 1oz. chocolate (about 3 fingers worth), 5oz. wine, 1/4 cup nuts, and 2-3 daily servings of fruit.

Drinking rather than eating fruits and vegetables. In talking to my clients, I have found that juicing has become more and more popular. It's understandable that people might view this as a simple way to include fruits and vegetables in the diet, and there certainly are some nutritional benefits to be had from juicing. However, because juicing concentrates produce, I have found that many people are getting way more calories than they realize from their juice. Plus, it seems that juicing doesn't seem to fill people up the same way eating fruits and vegetables does. For example, it may take 2-3 pieces of fruit to make one glass of fruit juice. However, you don't feel as full after drinking the juice as you would after eating 2-3 pieces of fruit. See what I mean? My tip: As often as you can, eat rather than drink, your fruits and vegetables-aim for a minimum of 5 servings daily.

Eating pre- and post-workout snacks. Snacks are definitely an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. In fact, I usually tell my clients that they should have 1-2 snacks a day, particularly when they will be going more than about 4-5 hours between meals. However, I find that in addition to these snacks, many people add in pre- and post- workout snacks to their day. The truth is, unless you are doing a pretty intense exercise for over an hour, you probably don't need these extra snacks. Skipping a snack before your 30 minute run shouldn't affect your workout or energy level. Don't get me wrong, it is great to refuel with some protein and carbohydrate post-workout, but use one of your regular planned snacks for this, rather than adding an additional snack. My tip: If you are exercising for less than 1 hour, plan to work out within 2-3 hours after a meal and follow your workout with one of your 1-2 daily snacks, which should contain some sort of protein and carbohydrate, such as lowfat yogurt and fruit.

Not eating enough. Many times clients come to me after trying out a low-calorie diet on their own, frustrated that it has not lead to their ideal weight-loss results. I always tell them that the metabolism is like a fire, if you don't put fuel on it, it starts to die down. So eating a very low-calorie diet for weight loss may actually backfire, leading to a slower metabolism and inefficient calorie burn. Plus, it increases the potential for regaining weight as well, even if some is lost initially. My tip: Stick to a balanced diet with no less than 1400 calories/day and combine that with moderate exercise most days of the week. I hope I have helped debunked some of the myths that may be hindering you from reaching or staying at your healthy weight. Remember, in the end, it truly is all about moderation.